Boavista’s Public and Private Lives

Pablo Pita Arquitectosdeveloped Boavista, a single family house renovation, in 2016. The house is named after the street it resides on, which is one of the busiest streets in Porto. Nearing ruins when the project began, the house was built in the last century, with a busy street view and a private back garden connected by 260 square meters of living space.

The width of the building was predetermined by the houses in both sides, and so the focus of the renovation became opening the space between street and garden. The kitchen is the main corridor, with a movable island in the middle, giving the space flexibility. The kitchen opens onto an interior courtyard, separated by a skin of wooden shutters offering different layers of shade.

The skylights on the third floor are able to reach the first floor through a clever maneuvering of the staircases in different stages, further creating a sense of space and openness.